Georgetown-DePaul matchup pits teams aiming to end long skids

Georgetown will try to complete a regular-season sweep against DePaul when the teams tip off in a Big East Conference matchup Saturday evening in Chicago.

The Hoyas (8-18, 1-14 Big East) held on for a 68-65 win on their home court against DePaul on Jan. 6. Since then, however, Georgetown has lost 11 games in a row, including a 90-85 setback against visiting St. John's in its most recent game Wednesday night.

Georgetown coach Ed Cooley said he wanted his players to stay positive despite the skid.

"I think the team that played the smartest (until) the end won," Cooley said after the loss. "We have another road game coming up. We can't put our heads down. We have to stay connected to one another, and we are going to continue to drive our guys to excellence. I look forward to our preparation as we get ready to play DePaul."

Jayden Epps is averaging 17.8 points per game, including 31 vs. St. John's, for the Hoyas.

DePaul (3-23, 0-15) is hoping to snap a 14-game losing streak. The Blue Deacons have not won a game since Dec. 30, when they beat visiting Chicago State 70-58.

Amid a miserable season, DePaul dismissed coach Tony Stubblefield last month. Matt Brady took over as interim head coach, and he is 0-8 at the helm.

Brady blamed himself for not fixing DePaul's flaws, particularly on defense, in his time as coach.

"We've got to be able to run back on defense and stop the ball," Brady said. "This group has not gotten better at transition defense. Individually, we have guys that don't recognize the value of blocking out at this level. It's disappointing. It's repetitive. It's something that we work on, something we talk about, something we show them on film.

"I've stressed over and over that it seems like every possession, somebody makes a mistake. And at this level, if you make a mistake, the ball is going to find the open guy."

Chico Carter Jr. leads the Blue Demons with 11.5 points per game, and Da'Sean Nelson and Elijah Fisher are at 10.1 and 10, respectively.

DePaul is 3-12 at home this season. Georgetown is 1-8 on the road.